"Shi'er, I have something very important to discuss, I need to give you a heads-up first."
Over the phone, the voice of his brother-in-law sounded particularly heavy. It made Sheng Shi's heart suddenly tighten, vaguely guessing that something significant was about to happen.
Sheng Shi remained composed on the phone, gently acknowledging with a "hmm" and then fell silent, quietly waiting for his brother-in-law to reveal the information in advance.
On the other end of the call, there was a pause of nearly a minute before his brother-in-law's voice came through again, each word articulated clearly. Sheng Shi's expression grew more and more serious until his brother-in-law had completely finished speaking. Only then did Sheng Shi respond, asking, "Are you certain?"
